Reversible flow pump



oct. 21, 1941. Q COUCH 2,260,169

REVERSIBLE FLOW PUMP Filed May 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 sumlllllllllu INVENTOR. "l OVE/V Col/Cif HAS' ATTORNEYS Oct. 21, 1941. R o, COUCH 2,260,169

REVERSIBLE FLOW PUMP Filed May lv4, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. y Ro/05N 0. Cow/f BY M HAS` A TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 21, 19141 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REVERSIBLE FLOW PUMP Royden 0. Couch, Grant, Fla.

Application May 14, 1940, Serial No. 335,029

(Cl. S- 3) 5 Claims.

My invention relates to pumps, the primary use of which is to control the relative levels of two separate bodies of water or, in general, to maintain a higher Water level on one side of the pump and associated barrier or dam than on the other side. My invention is particularly applicable to low-head, high-volume pumps such as are used in irrigation or drainage channels or ditches, canals, flumes, sluice-ways, etc.

The main object of my invention is to provide a reversible llow pump which is simple to construct, assemble, and operate and which is inexpensive and easily installed. Another object is to enable the reversal of direction of ow of water or any other iluid driven by the pump Without reversing the direction of rotation of the pump elements and without removing any part of the pump assembly from the location where it is installed. A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby back-iiow of the uid through the pump and past the barrier or dam will be prevented even if, accidentally or otherwise, the pump ceases to operate. Still another object is to provide means whereby gravity-flow between the two sidesy of the barrier or dam may be secured without removal of any part of the pump assembly.

Among the advantages of my invention arel that my reversible flow pump is adapted for use with a portable dam which can easily be placed in the channel, etc., at the desired location. Utilizing my improved pump, the iioW of the water or other fluid may be reversed without removing either the dam or any part of the pump assembly from the channel and the reversed iow may be accomplished with minimum difficulty and in the minimum time. Another advantage is that, if the pump ceases to operate, back-iiow through the pump is automatically prevented; also, the pump assembly may be so set that direct gravity-110W from one side of the dam to the other is accomplished.

Various other features and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description ofthe preferred form of my improved reversible ilow pump.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved re- Versible pump together with the panel constituting the portable dam;

Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the cylindrical shell being rotated through an angle of 90 from the position shown in Fig. 1 and the oat valve being shown in full lines in open or partially open position and in dotted lines in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, the float valve not being shown ln this figure; and

Fig. 4 is a top View.

Referring to the drawings, the removable and portable panel, in the particular form shown, consists of two plates I 0 in the same plane, which plates, with the associated elements, may be placed in a channel, etc., so as to separate it into two parts. In eiect, they constitute a panel having an aperture therein within which my reversible flow pump is mounted. Normally, the plates I0 carry a strip Il which is afxed to the bottom edges of the plates Ill and constitutes the bottom of the aperture above mentioned. The aperture is closed at the top by a plate I2 welded or otherwise affixed to the tops of the plates I0. The plate I2 has a central circular opening to receive the circular shell of the pump which Will now be described.

In its preferred form of my reversible flow pump comprises a cylindrical shell I4 which is closed at the bottom by a plate I5. This shell is provided with an intake port 21 located on one side thereof adjacent the bottom, and a discharge port 28 located on the opposite side thereof and at a higher level than that of the intake port. As indicated in the drawings, each of these ports extends through an arc of roughly At the top of the shell I provide an annular plate IB, the central opening of which is large enough to pfermit the insertion into the shell and removal therefrom of the pumping unit which will be hereinafter described. rIhe opening in the plate I6 is closed by a circular plate I6 which is preferably bolted, around its periphery, to the annular plate I6.

The bottom plate I5 has an opening at the center from which a tube I'I projects upwardly into the shell. 'Ihis forms a socket II which is adapted to receive a stud I8 supported by an angle iron II' which is welded or otherwise affixed to the cross strip Il of the panel. The stud I8, in cooperation with the socket I'I, holds the bottom part of the shell I4 in position with respect to the panel and also acts as a pivot upon which the shell may be rotated. At the top, the shell I4 is held in position by a ring I3 which depends from the top plate I2 of the panel.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the cylindrical shell I4 may be rotated within the panel so that the parts of the channel with which the intake and discharge ports communicate may be reversed. To facilitate rotation of the shell, I provide, on the top plate I 6 of the shell, sockets 3I into which a turning bar (not shown) may be inserted to rotate the shell. In order to lock the shell in desired position I provide two lugs 38 welded or otherwise affixed to diametrically opposite points on the periphery of the annular plate I 6. The top plate I.2 of the panel is vprovided with four threaded holes 4i) at points 90 apart and adjacent the inner edge of the plate I2. These holes are adapted to receive threaded bolts 39 which pass through the lugs 38. It is thereby possible Y Y to lock the cylindrical shell in any one of four desired positions. f

Within the shell I4 and intermediate between the top of the intake port and the 'bottom df l the discharge port is a mid-deck in the form, of an annular plate 4I, braced by a number of ribs; 427. mid-.deck accomplishes. the4 dual purpose of supporting: the pumping unit and of .Separating the interior of thee shell. into an intake chamber and' a discharge chamber. At the bottom of the, shell, thereis preferablyr provided a hydrocone, as shown at 43.

The pumping unit comprises ashaft-housing lill` which extendsA from the pump elements substantially .tor the top of the shell v |14. Atv the top ofthe lhousing isY provided a bearinghousing 2 I, preferably containing a ball thrust bearing (not sholwnl.` Surrounding the upper part of the bearing housing, and affixed to the removable plate IIr .at the top of the shell is a clamping collar 45.. A shaft i9 extends. throughout the housing 44, projecting upwardly therefrom so that a pulley 22 or other suitable means for rotating the shaft may be aii'xedf thereto.. The shaft is carried within the housing in suitable bearings 46. The shaft I9 projects downwardly below the lower end ofthe shaft-housing 44 and thereis there mounted on the shaft a rotary impeller or pump, preferably of the axial flow, turbine type (generally similar, for example, to

that shown in my prior Patent No. 1,893,614,

issued Jianuary 10, 1933.) having blades 23, preferably so formed that, when they are rotated, they will drive the waterl or other uidupwardly. A lock nut 47 is preferably provided tov holdi the .impeller unit on the shaft. Below the lock nut,

a suitable bearing 48 is ordinarily used.

A pump casing 25, in the forrn of a Venturi section, is rigidly affixed to the shaft-housing. As is understood, thekinetic energy which is present in the moving water or fluid in the form f in` the casing 25v are preferably provided, bothY on the intake sideA and onl the discharge sidev of the rotarypump, radial guide varies Z6. Surrounding and affixed tothe casi-ng 25, preferably somewhat above they levelv of the rotary pump, is an annular flange 29, stiffened with suitable ribs 3.0. This flange is designed' torest on the mid- 4t, thereby supportingthe pumping uni-t the sleeve 32 and flange 33, provides an air space 375 in the valve 3| so that its specific gravity is only slightly more than that of the fluid to be driven by the pump; the web 34 also acts to deflect the fluid as it is driven upward by the rrotaryimpeller from the pump easing 25. When the: pump is operating, the pressure of the fluid driven by the pump causes the valve 3l to rise and permit, the fluid to be expelled` through. the discharge,A port 28e In Eig.. 2 the valve.l is shown in full lines` in raised',-i e., open or partially open,--position. It. isshown in the. same; g-ure in'` e-l'osedposition in brokenY lines.

To, seal. the. joints, between the rotatable cylindrical shell i542 and thel panel, I provide angle irons 49A attached tothe inner edges: of the panel plates Iii. Afxed to. the angle irons. are strips fr l.

iliof suitable packing material which bear-against the outer surface of the shell I4 and thusA prevent flow of fluidi from oney side of the panel to. the other, outside off the Shelli.

In order toinstalli my improved reversible flew pump in. a channel, drainage ditch, etc., it is only necessary' to provide, at the sides of the channel, ete., a suitable mounting for the panel of my pum-p. My entire unit may then belowered into place, the rings or eyelets 5I being provided for that purpose. It will, of course, be understood that, if preferred, the panel constitutin-g the dam may first be lowered intoplace, after which the shell I4 may similarlybe lowered, the topplate4 t9" thereof being detached therefrom; thereafter the pumping'-unit may be lowered intothe shell, the pla-te IlEr" put place, and the entire reversible pump thus asser-rxlo-ledi at the place where the pumping i-s to be done. rEhe shell is then rotated to thel desired positionso that, when the' pump is put into operation, the -wa-t'eror other fluid willV be driven inthe desired directionV from one side of thepanel or dam tothe other. Suitable mea-ns (fnot shown), such asy a gasoline engine, electriemotor, etc., will of coursebe provided to rota-te the vanesof the impeller. Such means may be connected tothe pump shaft any desiredmanner, asiby a bel-t engaging thev pulleyV 22;.' f l When it is desired to reverse the direction of flow of the iiui'd, it is only necessary te remove the bolts' 39 from the locking lugs 381, to insert a turning bar in one of the soelzets 31T, to turn the casing I4 throughout 180?, andA toreplace the lockingboltsv 39. It will: beseen. that thedirec.- tion.- of fiow of the fluid may thus be. reversed without altering the direction, ci rotation 0i the pump, without removing or 13e-setting the pump, without removing the casing Mefromthe panel and, vin fact, without. evenstopping, the operation of the pump.

If gravity flow. i rom one. Side of, the dam toh the other is desired this. can, be accomplished merely by stopping the pump, provided the 'level of the water on the higher side visabove the level ofthe topof the pump casing 25, Yand the intake port 21 is so positioned as to open inte the channel on that side of the panel. Gravity flow may also be secured, even if the Water level on the higher side is below the top of the casing 25, by removing the locking bolts 39, rotating the shell through an angle of 90, and locking it in that position, this being the position shown in Fig. l. As will readily be seen, when the casing is in this position, water may flow past the dam directly through the intake port 21 in the shell and also, if the water level is high enough, through the discharge port 28.

If, for any reason, operation of the pump should accidentally cease, back-flow Will automatically be prevented by the valve 3l.

It Will be evident to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts of my reversible flow pump. I therefore do not Wish to be limited to the preferred arrangement or details shown and described herein, but wish to secure protection for all such variations therein or modifications thereof as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A combined dam and reversible pump comprising in combination a separated pair of substantially rectangular plates lying in the same vertical plane, a cross-piece connecting the bottoms of said plates, and an horizontal plate connecting the tops of said first-mentioned plates, said horizontal plate having a circular opening, said vertical plates, cross-piece, and horizontal plate together constituting a dam provided with a rectangular opening; a cylindrical shell located in and substantially co-extensive with said rectangular opening, said shell being closed at the bottom and having an opening in the top, and being provided with peripherally spaced intake and discharge openings in said shell, said shell being pivoted on said cross-piece whereby it is rotatable within said rectangular opening to interchange the positions of said intake and discharge openings with respect to said dam; a

removable vcover plate for the opening in the .f top of said shell, said cover plate being provided with a central aperture; and a pumping element, mounted in and removable from said shell, for impelling fluid from said intake opening to said discharge opening, said element having outside dimensions less than those of the said cover plate and being provided with a shaft extending through the aperture in said cover plate.

2. A combined/dam and reversible pump .comprising in combination a separated pair of substantially rectangular plates lying in the same vertical plane, a cross-piece connecting the bottoms of said plates, and an horizontal plate connecting the tops of said first-mentioned plates, said horizontal plate having a circular opening, said vertical plates, cross-piece, and horizontal plate together constituting a dam provided with a rectangular opening; a cylindrical shell located in and substantially co-extensive with said rectangular opening, said shell being closed at the bottom and having an opening in the top, and being provided with peripherally spaced intake and discharge openings, said shell being pivoted on said cross-piece whereby it is rotatable within said rectangular opening to interchange the positions of said intake and discharge openings with respect to said dam; flexible sealing strips carried by the inner edges of each of said vertical plates and bearing against the outer surface of said shell; a removable cover plate for the opening in the top of said shell, said cover plate being provided with a central aperture; and a pumping element, mounted in said shell, for impelling fluid from said intake openingto said discharge opening, said element having outside dimensions less than the inside dimensions of the opening in the top of said shell whereby the pumping element may be removed from said shell withoutrremoval of the latter from the dam; said pumping element being .provided with a shaft normally extending through the aperture in said cover plate.

3. A combined dam and reversibleipump comprising in combination a separated pair of substantially rectangular plates lying in the same vertical plane, a cross-piece connecting the bottoms of said plates, and an horizontal plate connecting the tops of said rst-mentioned plates, said horizontal plate having a circular opening, said vertical plates, cross-piece, and horizontal plate together constituting a dam provided With a rectangular o-pening; a cylindrical shell 1ocated in and substantially co-extensive with said rectangular opening, said shell being closed at the bottom and having an opening in the top, and being provided with peripherally spaced intake and discharge openings in said shell, said shell being pivoted on said cross-piece whereby it is rotatable within said rectangular opening to interchange the positions of said intake and discharge openings with respect to said dam; a removable cover plate for the opening in the top of said shell, said cover plate being provided with a central aperture; a pumping element for impelling iiuid from said intake opening to said discharge opening, said element having outside dimensions less than the inside dimensions of the opening in the top of said shell whereby the pumping element may be removed from said shell without removing the latter from the dam, said pumping element being provided with a shaft normally extending through the aperture in said cover plate; and horizontal means Within said shell supporting said pumping element and dividing the interior of the shell into intake and discharge chambers.

4. A reversible flow pump for a channel comprising in combination a panel constituting a dam and having an aperture therein, the said aperture having vertical edges and extending above the level of the iluid in the channel; a substantially cylindrical shell carried by said panel, closing said aperture, and rotatable Without removal from said aperture about a vertical axis; intake and discharge ports in said shell located on diametrically opposite sides thereof, said ports having substantial peripheral extension and being normally positioned on opposite sides of said panel; means within said shell for impelling fluid from said intake port to said discharge port; means by which said shell may be rotated about its axis; and means for locking said shell in at least three positions, in one of which the intake port is centrally located in the channel on one side of the dam and the discharge port is centrally located in the channel on the opposite side of the dam, in another of which the respective positions of the intake and discharge ports are reversed, and in another of which one of the ports is adjacent the panel and opens into the channel on both sides of the panel, whereby fluid may be forced to ow from either side of said panel to the other or may be free to flow, by gravity, past said panel.

5. A combined dam and reversible pump coniprising im combination a separated pair of plates in the samevertical plane, the inner edge of each plate being Vertical, said plates eonstituting the sides of' av dam; a substantially cylindrical shell having a vertical axis and. beingA rotatably sup'- 'ported by. said plates in'V the space between them, the diameter of. the: shell being substantially equal to the distance between said. inner edges of the plates, said shell being closed atv the bottom and having. an opening in the top and being .provided with peripherally spaced intake and discharge openings, said shell; bein-g rotatablealzrcnitits` axis Within. the spa-e@ between said platestu inet:archangey the positions of the, intake and dischargeopenings With respect thereto;` a member associated with the top of the shell and provided with an aperture; and a pumping element comprising a casing having openings adiao'ent the intake and discharge openings in 

